WVU falls to No. 1 Arizona 88-53
West Virginia was defeated 88-53 by No. 1 Arizona inside the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday. The loss drops WVU to 13-7 and 4-3 in Big 12 play.
The Mountaineers were completely outmatched, shooting just 34% from the field, compared to Arizona’s 53%. The Wildcats outrebounded WVU 43-30, scoring 36 points in the paint.
WVU went with the typical starting lineup with point guard Jasper Floyd, guard Honor Huff, guard Treysen Eaglestaff, forward Brenen Lorient and center Harlan Obioha.
Guard Chance Moore led the Mountaineers with 12 points and four rebounds, while Eaglestaff and Huff added 10 points.
Arizona started the game hitting its first four shots; its first miss came three and a half minutes into the game. Eaglestaff scored a second-chance layup and mid-range jumper to get WVU on the board, as the Mountaineers trailed 11-4.
Following a media timeout, Lorient immediately hit a fadeaway jumper, answered by a Brayden Burries pull-up jumper. Three minutes went by before Lorient made a second-chance layup. Anthony Dell’Orso then made a three-pointer, giving Arizona a 20-8 lead.
After two Wildcats’ free throws, Huff converted his first triple of the game and Moore banked in a three-pointer a minute later. Arizona answered with a three, then Moore finished through contact at the rim, cutting the lead 25-16.
A 7-0 Arizona run forced a WVU timeout before Eaglestaff nailed a three to go into the final media timeout of the first half.
Before the half, WVU converted two baskets in the paint from Huff and forward DJ Thomas, but Arizona got 11 points of its own, ending with a buzzer-beater layup by Dwayne Aristode after a Huff turnover to end the first half.
Arizona led 43-23.
The Wildcats exploded out of the half on a 10-4 run before a WVU timeout. The Mountaineers’ two baskets came from layups by Huff and Obioha, but three layups, a free throw and a three-pointer extended Arizona’s lead to 53-27.
After the timeout, guard Amir Jenkins found Moore in the lane for a dunk, and Eaglestaff found the net with a triple the following possession. The Wildcats responded with seven straight points.
Moore ended the run with a layup, and Huff made a three-pointer on the following possession as WVU trailed 60-37.
Arizona put the game completely out of reach in the final eight minutes of the game, finishing on a 19-10 run.
The final score was 88-53.
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